Posts Tagged ‘bullying’

Even one would be too many. Sadly, there were a dozen in one month last September and thousands more attempted. If those numbers were kids injured by a faulty toy, there would have been a nationwide recall by now. If those were kids who got pregnant before they were teens, there would by television specials and public outcry. What those numbers represent, however, is something far worse: teenagers committing or attempting suicide because of anti-LGBT bullying. These are kids who either are gay or are perceived to be and who are so tormented and alone that death seems their only option. Luckily, however, there are those working to put an end to this tragedy and some of those folks are kids themselves.

It’s almost as if you can’t turn around, these days, without bumping into someone suing someone else over something that seems silly to everyone but the person suing and, possibly, the person being sued. Lawsuits involving kids and schools are no exception — parents seem to sue at the drop of a hat if they feel their precious snowflake has been slighted. Even so, if there really is a problem, sometimes a lawsuit — or the threat of one, anyway — is exactly what’s needed to make things happen. And so, Caleb Laieski has contacted school administrators in Arizona with the threat of a lawsuit if they don’t change their ways. That is, he contacted all of them.

At the start of the New Year, it’s traditional for people to make sweeping statements about how they plan to improve themselves or their situation in the coming year. I could certainly do that — I definitely need to lose weight, I’d like to yell at the kids a little less, I really ought to work more on getting my book published — but that would only benefit me or, at most, my family. So I thought I’d take a look at the big picture and come up with some resolutions that will help kids all over.

So with that in mind, here is A Parent’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2011:

Imagine losing a child — a teenager who is an intelligent, beautiful person with a great future ahead of them. Imagine losing that child not because of some accident of nature or incurable disease but because of something easily preventable. Imagine losing your child because of the thoughtlessness of their peers and the indifference of their teachers. Wendy Walsh doesn’t have to imagine it; she lives it every day.

According to the Center for Public Education, school boards have one primary purpose: “first and foremost school boards look out for students.” They do this, in part, by determining policies, selecting curriculum, and providing oversight and accountability for the schools in their districts. So the last thing you’d expect from a member of a school board is to publicly and openly encourage people — including students from Midland School District which he represents — to kill themselves. And yet, that’s what Clint McCance did.

When my oldest was in preschool, he used to run around singing “I Love Being A Princess,” a song from the Backyardigans TV show. At school, he put on dresses and pranced about in heels. In his case, however, it was simply a matter of a catchy tune and a lack of more traditionally male dress up items in the school’s dress up corner. While he’s since moved on to other songs and other clothes, he sees nothing wrong with his younger brother repeating lines from a show about wishing to be a princess. Thankfully, that sort of acceptance is no longer limited to San Francisco.